The American Conservative

The American Conservative
Editor Robert W. Merry
Categories Editorial magazine
Frequency Bi-monthly
Publisher Jon Basil Utley[1]
Founder Scott McConnell, Patrick Buchanan, and Taki Theodoracopulos
First issue October 7, 2002 (2002-10-07)
Country United States
Based in Washington, D.C., U.S.
Language English
Website www.theamericanconservative.com
ISSN 1540-966X

The American Conservative (TAC) is a bi-monthly magazine founded in 2002 and published by the American Ideas Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, D.C., which states that it exists to promote a conservatism that opposes unchecked power in government and business; promotes the flourishing of families and communities through vibrant markets and free people; and embraces realism and restraint in foreign affairs based on America's vital national interests.[2]

History

October 2016 issue

The American Conservative was founded by Scott McConnell, Patrick Buchanan, and Taki Theodoracopulos in 2002 in opposition to the Iraq War. Daniel Strauss wrote:

The idea of The American Conservative was that there were enough who disagreed with mainstream conservatism—libertarians, paleoconservatives, and civil libertarian conservatives, among other dissenters—to warrant such a publication. While other conservative magazines like National Review and The Weekly Standard marched more or less in lockstep with the Bush Administration, The American Conservative argued for a different course—sometimes with greater ferocity than the major political magazines on the left.[3]

Scott McConnell served as the magazine's first editor, followed by managing editor Kara Hopkins.

Before the 2006 midterm elections, The American Conservative urged its readers to vote for Democrats, saying, "It should surprise few readers that we think a vote that is seen—in America and the world at large—as a decisive “No” vote on the Bush presidency is the best outcome."[4]

As of 2007, Buchanan and Taki ceased to be involved with the editorial operations of The American Conservative, although Buchanan continues to contribute columns.[5] Ron Unz was named publisher in 2007.[6] In 2011, Wick Allison became the magazine's publisher, followed in 2013 by Jon Basil Utley, the current publisher.[1]

In 2010, Daniel McCarthy succeeded Kara Hopkins as editor. In September 2011, the magazine introduced an editorial redesign of its print publication, and in May 2012, a redesign of its website. In October 2014, Benjamin Schwarz, the former national and literary editor of The Atlantic, was named national editor of the magazine.[7]

In November 2016, Robert W. Merry succeeded Daniel McCarthy as editor, with Lewis McCrary and Kelley Beaucar Vlahos as Executive Editors.

Reception

In 2009 Reihan Salam, National Review editor,[8] wrote that the publication had "gained a devoted following as a sharp critic of the conservative mainstream."[9]

In 2012 David Brooks, columnist at The New York Times, wrote:

The American Conservative has become one of the more dynamic spots on the political Web. Writers like Rod Dreher and Daniel Larison tend to be suspicious of bigness: big corporations, big government, a big military, concentrated power and concentrated wealth. Writers at that Web site, and at the temperamentally aligned Front Porch Republic, treasure tight communities and local bonds. They’re alert to the ways capitalism can erode community. Dispositionally, they are more Walker Percy than Pat Robertson.[10]

At an event at the University of New Orleans in March 2017, Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance shared, “I did this interview with Rod [Dreher] at The American Conservative magazine…and then the book [Hillbilly Elegy]…exploded!”[11]

Notable contributors

Some notable contributors throughout the years at The American Conservative have included: Andrew Bacevich, Doug Bandow, Patrick Buchanan, Rod Dreher, Leon Hadar, Peter Hitchens, Samuel P. Huntington, James Kurth, Christopher Layne, Michael Lind, William S. Lind, John Mearsheimer, Rand Paul, Mark Perry, Steve Sailer, and Jim Webb.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.theamericanconservative.com/masthead/ Masthead / The American Conservative
  2. ↑ "About Us". The American Conservative. 2017-02-28.
  3. ↑ Daniel Strauss: The American Conservatives Next Step Archived 2011-08-08 at the Wayback Machine. The Campus Progress, March 29, 2009.
  4. ↑ "GOP Must Go". The American Conservative. 2006-11-20.
  5. ↑ http://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/patrick-j-buchanan/
  6. ↑ "California Anti-Bilingual Proposition King Ron Unz to be Next Publisher of The American Conservative". The Washington Note. 2007-03-19.
  7. ↑ "The American Conservative Names Benjamin Schwarz National Editor".
  8. ↑ Salam, Reihan (2014-04-22). "Is It Racist to Date Only People of Your Own Race?". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  9. ↑ Reihan Salam: The Mark Sanford Revolution? The Atlantic, March 13, 2009.
  10. ↑ Brooks, David (2012-11-19). "The Conservative Future". New York Times. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  11. ↑ Chris Surprenant (2017-04-20), Faith, Hillbillies, and American Politics An Evening with J.D. Vance & Rod Dreher, retrieved 2018-02-26
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